


Cosmic Connections, and the Otherwise Inclined

by IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Fluff, Mentioned Choi Youngjae, Mentioned Oh Sehun, Mentioned Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Minor Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung | Jr., Minor Jung Taekwoon | Leo/Lee Jaehwan | Ken, More Fluff, mentioned Han Sanghyuk, random song references, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing/pseuds/IAmNotGoodatthisnamingthing
Summary: Kyungsoo is in his sophomore year at university when he meets Baekhyun, and essentially, transitions into a new stage of life.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	Cosmic Connections, and the Otherwise Inclined

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lady-serendipity (JenZz)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenZz/gifts).



> This is a belated birthday gift for my [ldv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenZz/pseuds/lady-serendipity), featuring her beloved BaekSoo and Jinyoungie and my trash heart for Keo and one Im Jaebeom. Thank you Jen, for always listening to my errant ideas and encouraging me to write (can't be easy, but oh well!) This one's for you, hope you enjoy it!

Kyungsoo is in his sophomore year at university when he meets _him_ , and essentially, transitions into a new stage of life. 

He’s walking back to the dorms, late - like the-librarian-had-to-literally-throw-him-out-to-close-the-library-because-he-was-busy-cramming-for-his-Microbiology-quiz-the-next-morning sort of late - at night, contemplating whether to (make and) eat (a really late) dinner before sleeping or directly drop to bed and compensate with a big breakfast the next morning, when he suddenly stops in his tracks.

Because someone, at the very respectable hour of 1 AM, is singing ballads somewhere close by.

Kyungsoo fixes his spectacles, and squints, trying to pinpoint the intruder, but foliage hides the singer from his view. He deliberates whether to continue on his journey, before curiosity gets the better of him and causes him to step forward and around the 2-metres-long shrubbery lining the pavements, sneakily making his way towards the voice he can still hear belting out soulful notes.

Beyond the shrubbery, he finds a pagoda, one of the many that graces his campus, due to some preconceived notion of the admin board wanting to preserve the glory of their history (or something).

But Kyungsoo digresses.

He finds a bodega beyond the green, and inside the bodega, singing at 1:03 AM, he finds a guy with fluffy white hair, spotlighted by the light of a nearby streetlamp.

“Oh,” said guy greets, stopping his singing upon catching sight of Kyungsoo. “Hi!”

“Hi,” Kyungsoo greets back with an awkward wave of his hand, drawing closer. “You’re singing.”

“I am,” the guy beams, eyes closing as his cheeks bunch up in a happy smile. “What did you think of it?”

“Your singing?” Kyungsoo clarifies, eyes studying the tousled hair atop the guy’s head.

The guy nods, making his hair shake some more.

“I-,” Kyungsoo pauses, wondering how to articulate how the soulful quality of this stranger’s voice had made him forget his social awkwardness and draw closer, like responding to a siren call, way past an hour when people should be around the campus. 

He drops that thought and decides to reply with a question of his own.

“It made me wonder why someone would be out at 1 AM on a winter night singing,” Kyungsoo says. “Like, who does that? Not a normal human, for sure.”

“You’re absolutely right!” the stranger perks up, eyes glinting with mirth.

“What?” Kyungsoo asks, wondering what he was right about.

“I am not a normal human,” the guy says, before lowering his voice to a whisper. “You see, I’m actually a nymph, and I come visit the human world to sing every full moon. But now that you’ve seen me, I’ll be tied to you, so please take care of me!” The stranger ends in a rush, batting his eyelashes prettily. 

“What?” Kyungsoo repeats, robbed of words and possibly having a bit of a panic attack.

“You saw me, so you must take care of me~,” the stranger sing-songs. “No take backs!”

Kyungsoo does what any self-respecting adult faced with the situation would do…

He drops his backpack and plops down on the floor, staring listlessly at the self-proclaimed nymph.

As soon as he hits the grass, the stranger bursts into peals of laughter.

“What?” Kyungsoo says once more, trying to make sense of the twilight zone he seems to have entered.

“Oh my god,” the stranger gasps out between guffawing. “Oh my god. Dude. You should have seen your face. I should have taken a video. Oh my god,” he chuckles. “Dude, I’m messing with you.”

“Oh my god,” Kyungsoo says faintly, lying down on the grass, seemingly uncaring of the degree of its cleanliness.

The stranger - _that bastard_ \- continues cackling, like he hadn’t essentially given Kyungsoo an existential crisis.

“You asshole, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Kyungsoo bites out when he’s recovered, glaring balefully at the guy.

“In my defense,” the guy placates, approaching while holding his palms out. “You should have seen your face.”

Kyungsoo kicks his foot in retaliation, causing the guy to yowl. 

Good, Kyungsoo feels vindicated.

“I probably deserved that,” the guy acquiesces, crouching down beside Kyungsoo and rubbing his shin.

“You did,” Kyungsoo says seriously. “I have an 9 AM quiz, and you made me contemplate fleeing the country.”

“Sorry,” the guy replies, not sounding sorry at all. “I couldn’t help it. I’m Baekhyun, by the way,” he introduces himself, extending a hand towards Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo,” he says, shaking Baekhyun’s - soft - hand. “Well, if you’re not a nymph or whatever, why are you singing horribly sad songs at-,” he stops to consult his watch. “-1:15 AM at night?”

“I’m a music major,” Baekhyun announces proudly. “I have an audition tomorrow afternoon. Was trying to cram in one last practice tonight?”

“And you thought a dirty pagoda in one of the most isolated roads around the campus was the best place to do that?” Kyungsoo asks, hauling himself up to his feet.

“My roommate’s also a music major, and he’s practicing at home so I couldn’t,” Baekhyun shrugs, lifting Kyungsoo’s backpack from the ground and brushing it clean. “And the studios are booked out, so the abandoned pagoda was the best option, as it’s furthest away from the residential halls. Why are you walking around at 1 AM?”

“I’ve lost control of my life,” Kyungsoo mutters in an undertone.

Baekhyun tilts his head to the side, probably wondering what Kyungsoo had just mumbled.

“I said I was walking back from the library tonight,” he amends, speaking loudly.

“Library stays open this late?” Baekhyun asks, shouldering Kyungsoo’s bag and leading the way out of the secluded corner.

“It’s almost exams week, so yeah,” Kyungsoo replies, gesturing for Baekhyun to return his bag.

“After the scare I gave you, the least I can do is walk you to your place,” Baekhyun shakes his head, refusing to return Kyungsoo’s bag. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself while we walk?”

“What do you want to know?” Kyungsoo asks, rubbing the side of his neck self-consciously.

“Your major, for starters,” Baekhyun pipes in. “Favourite food? Maybe a childhood trauma? Undisclosed secrets? Take your pick. My friends say I’m a good listener.”

Kyungsoo snorts derisively before he can help himself.

“Hey!” Baekhyun shouts back indignantly. “I can be quiet, you’ll see!”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo placates, laughing lightly. “Well, I’m a soph, so haven’t chosen my major yet, but I expect to go for medicine.”

“Medicine?” Baekhyun asks, looking - _wait, why does he look crestfallen?_

“Well yeah,” Kyungsoo jumps into justification mode. “It’s a good profession, and I’d be able to help a lot of people. Besides, I’ve always liked Biology. Although I’ve preferred plants and animals over anthro. But, medicine sounds good too. I’m sure I can grow to enjoy it. I like studying, and med- wait, why am I telling you this?” He stops mid-ramble and turns to face Baekhyun.

“Because, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says softly, also coming to a stop. “We’re friends, and friends share.” 

“We’re friends? All of a sudden?” Kyungsoo asks incredulously.

“Of course,” Baekhyun says confidently. “I played a prank on you, you kicked and possibly stained my Balenciaga trousers,” he pauses to gesture at his baggy white pants, which definitely have the imprint of half of Kyungsoo’s left sneaker. “And now we’re having a heart-to-heart. Of course we’re friends.”

“I suppose so,” Kyungsoo says glumly, because that definitely checks out.

“Well, in that case,” Baekhyun smiles excitedly. “We should totally have a friendly dinner tomorrow, after I ace my auditions.”

“You sound confident about acing it,” Kyungsoo comments, wondering where Baekhyun gets his boundless energy.

“Pfft! Have you heard me?” Baekhyun pipes up. “Wait, of course you have. You were drawn to me like a seaman to a siren. What a tale for the ages!”

Kyungsoo shoves him, unable to take his exuberance at this hour of the night, and Baekhyun hops away before returning back to his side, a grin still adorning up his face. 

“Stop talking nonsense, and start walking!” Kyungsoo grumbles, rolling his eyes when Baekhyun salutes him from the side.

“You never did tell me,” Baekhyun says after they have spent a whole 3 minutes walking in silence. “How did you like my singing?”

“Much better than your sense of humour,” Kyungsoo quips. 

“It was a good joke,” Baekhyun chuckles.

“For you only,” Kyungsoo deadpans, before slowing down his steps. “Well, this is my stop.”

“Ah, scholarship dorms!” Baekhyun looks to the building in front of him, recognition flitting across his face. Kyungsoo expected pity or some sort of disdain to cross his features upon seeing the shabbiest residence hall in the campus, but Baekhyun’s face lights up with admiration instead. “I knew for sure you were smart!”

“What are you saying,” Kyungsoo mutters, trying to keep the embarrassment (and relief) out of his voice.

“Only the smartest people get scholarships, you know! I have a friend. Well, more like a friend of a friend,” Baekhyun pauses. “You know what? He’s actually a friend, never mind. He’s also one of the residents here, and he’s always acing his courses, so I know you must be really smart!”

Kyungsoo grumbles in the face of Baekhyun’s earnest appreciation, and quickly asks for his backpack, before he makes a fool of himself in front of this pretty boy. “I’ll head up, got a test and everything.”

“Definitely,” Baekhyun nods, mirth dancing in his features again. “I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow?”

“I usually have food at Hall E,” Kyungsoo supplies. “8.30 PM.”

“I’ll be there,” Baekhyun promises, before leaning forward and smacking a kiss on Kyungsoo’s cheek. “And that’s a good luck kiss for your exam! See you tomorrow!” With that, he hightails it out of there fast, before Kyungsoo can react.

And a good thing that he disappears, because Kyungsoo stares after him mutely, a hand cupping the cheek Baekhyun had kissed.

Baekhyun, he has a premonition, is going to be more trouble than Kyungsoo’s had in a long time. But somehow, Kyungsoo feels, he won’t mind it much.

  
  


Dinner the next night turns to dinner followed by ice cream (Baekhyun’s treat for passing his auditions!), followed by dinner the following night, and then lunch two days later. 

Slowly, they develop a routine of spending at least 3 meals a week together, which mostly consists of Kyungsoo chastising Baekhyun for eating with his mouth open, and Baekhyun speaking far too fast, almost like he’s afraid Kyungsoo will disappear. Kyungsoo wouldn’t, almost enamored with Baekhyun’s boundless energy and cheesy sense of humour; but Baekhyun doesn’t know that, _yet_.

They eventually exchange numbers and start texting, after Baekhyun almost has a heart attack upon finding that Kyungsoo didn’t have any social media accounts (preventing Baekhyun from sending him relatable memes). And their conversation flows, surprisingly well.

Baekhyun, for all his exuberance, is a thoughtful friend - always sending cheer up messages to Kyungsoo before his exams, and paying rapt attention whenever Kyungsoo stresses out about the pressure of his course load. Kyungsoo, for his part, tries to get to know Baekhyun better, but the other proves tightlipped about anything not concerning his degree or his immediate circle of friends. Which is a bit strange, but Kyungsoo figures there must be a valid reason for Baekhyun not sharing his past, and so he lets it be, basking in the everyday snippets and random 3 AM thoughts Baekhyun freely shares with him.

  
  


  
  


It's been 2 months since their first meeting when Baekhyun invites Kyungsoo to his place.

 _Its spring break, and I kno ur studying. Least u can do is get lunch with us_ , reads Baekhyun’s exact text.

 _Us=me + Jinyoungie_ , is his next text.

_N mayb his boyf._

_Jinyoungie is 1 of my roomies._

_His boyf is not a roomate, but he’s around a lot._

_He’s nice, altho he got a deadpan glare like u._

_But I think u’ll lyk him._

_So? U in?_

Kyungsoo sighs, faced with the sudden onslaught of badly spelt messages at 7 AM (when he indeed is studying), and decides to reply back immediately before Baekhyun sends him 14 more texts.

 **Sure** , he types resignedly. **Send me your address?**

 _^_^_ is Baekhyun’s reply before he texts back an address, a location pin and a google maps link in the span of 10 seconds.

 _I’m so xcited! All my frnz gonna meet_ , Baekhyun texts next.

_Wel, almost. Other roomie + boyfie went fr a picnic in the mountains. I ws jealous, but not nemore. Ur coming!_

**Should I bring wine or something?** Kyungsoo texts back, followed up by **And why are you awake at 7 AM?**

_Sokaing in the sin._

**??**

_Oops._

_Soaking in the sun. Fresh light, vit D, all dat jaz._

_No need for alcohol, we dnt drink ^_^_

**None of you? At all?** , Kyungsoo sighs, closing his textbook and giving up on his study session.

_Yep!_

_Btw, did i tel u abt dis anime we r binging at our flat?_

**No, tell me.** Kyungsoo types, getting up from his desk and going back to bed, sure that he’ll be texting Baekhyun for the next few hours to come. (And unaware of the soft smile gracing his face.)

  
  


Kyungsoo does actually end up chatting with Baekhyun all the way till 11 AM at which point Baekhyun excuses himself to go help cook, and Kyungsoo excuses himself to go take a shower, and then fret over his collection of pastel sweaters and khaki trousers.

He ends up wearing a jade green pullover over a pair of khakis, and shoves his glasses in his pocket as he - squints, and - makes his way to Baekhyun’s off-campus address.

(He does make a detour to a nearby shop to buy a bouquet of daisies and a box of cupcakes, before heading to Baekhyun’s.)

The building he finds himself in front of looks cozy, with vines creeping along the sides of the brick walled facade, and Kyungsoo rings the doorbell designated 3A, dutifully stepping back and pressing the button for the intercom. The reply he gets, however, comes from the stairs itself. “Kyungsoo, I’m coming,” Baekhyun voice yells down from what he guesses to be 3 floors up, and in a few seconds, the building’s gate is wrenched open from the inside, and a beaming Baekhyun is staring at Kyungsoo, smiling brighter than sunshine. “Hi! You came!”

“I did,” Kyungsoo smiles back, slightly colouring under the casual manner in which Baekhyun sweeps his eyes from his head to his toes. “Your hair is pink,” he comments, staring at Baekhyun’s mop of taffy pink hair. 

“We coloured it last night,” Baekhyun preens, inviting Kyungsoo in and leading the way up the stairs. “Don’t I look pretty?” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, more than used to Baekhyun’s bouts of self-praising. “Why pink?”

“Because blackpink’s in your area,” Baekhyun announces, smiling cheesily at Kyungsoo, before sighing at the lack of recognition in his face. “Of course you don’t get that reference. I swear the internet’s wasted on you.”

“You’re digressing,” Kyungsoo replies, in an attempt to fend off Baekhyun’s regular rant about how Kyungsoo basically had the spirit of an old man trapped in a young body, and how social media and the internet were all but wasted on him.

“Hmm?” Baekhyun asks noncommittally, looking back to give Kyungsoo an inquisitive look.

“Why pink?” Kyungsoo repeats patiently.

“Because it’s spring!” Baekhyun beams, his volume increasing exponentially as he nears the door of his apartment. “Aaaand this is us! Come in!” He beckons Kyungsoo inside, hardly giving him the time to look around before Baekhyun is screaming again.

“Jinyoungie! Look, Kyungsoo is here!”

A muffled reply precedes the arrival of it’s speaker, a handsome-looking guy with doe-eyes and full, pink lips. Kyungsoo is, for a second, dazed by the visuals of this new arrival, so he almost misses Baekhyun asking this guy - Jinyoung - to repeat himself.

“I said,” Jinyoung says in a pleasantly dulcet voice. “You could raise the dead with that voice.”

“I’ll put it on my to-do list,” Baekhyun replies, throwing in a salute. “But here. Kyungsoo, this is Jinyoungie. Jinyoungie, meet Kyungsoo.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jinyoung greets with a friendly smile.

“And glad to know Baekhyunnie’s not been making up an imaginary friend,” a new, huskier, voice joins the conversation, and looking to the end of the hallway, Kyungsoo finds a pink-haired guy who’s studying him impassively. “Jaebeom, Jinyoungie’s boyfriend, and Baekhyunnie’s hair dye buddy, and your cook for the day. It’s nice to put a face to the name,” he continues, nodding in Kyungsoo’s direction.

“I hope he’s only been saying good things about me?” Kyungsoo asks, sparing Baekhyun a quick glance.

“You betcha!” Baekhyun pipes up self-importantly, causing both Jinyoung and Kyungsoo to snicker. Effectively breaking the ice.

“I got you guys some flowers and cupcakes,” Kyungsoo holds up his offerings. “Since Baekhyun said you don’t take alcohol.”

“These two are extremely lightweight drinkers, and I don’t really enjoy drinking,” Jaebeom shrugs. “Can I get you a lemonade?”

As Kyungsoo vocalises his thanks, Jinyoung steps forward to take the flowers and cupcakes out of his hands. “I’ll go put the cupcakes in the fridge,” he says, tracing his boyfriend’s steps back to the kitchen.

“Don’t forget to put the flowers in the den,” Baekhyun remarks. “Jaehwanie is going to love them!”

“Jaehwanie?” Kyungsoo asks, looking around the flat.

“Our other roommate,” Baekhyun replies, walking into the den and plopping down on a sofa. “The one on the picnic with his boyfriend.” 

“The other music major?” Kyungsoo asks, sitting down carefully on a chair.

“Both him and his boyfriend,” Baekhyun confirms. “Although they’re both more on the theatre side than music, to be honest.”

“Hmm,” Kyungsoo hums, surreptitiously studying his surroundings. 

The den is a smorgasbord of mismatched furniture, with a bookshelf lining a wall and a shelf of figures lining another wall. On one side is what Kyungsoo assumed is the bedrooms and bathroom, and on the other side is the kitchen - where Jinyoung and his boyfriend are chatting over the sink - which opens into a balcony lined with potted flower plants. Overall, the apartment looks cozy, and Kyungsoo feels at ease. 

He zones back in, to find both Jinyoung and Baekhyun sitting opposite him, and staring at him expectantly.

“What?” he asks, brushing a hand quickly over his face, and hoping that there’s no dirt on his face.

“Your lemonade,” Jinyoung points at the glass in front of him. “Beom-ah garnished it with a strawberry, hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Kyungsoo shakes his head, picking up his glass and studying the lone slice of strawberry fitted over the rim. “It’s lovely, thank you.”

Jinyoung smiles once more, and his eyes crinkle attractively. Kyungsoo blinks, taking a sip of his drink before daring to ask him a question. “Baekhyun tells me you’re studying to be a hydrologist,” he says politely. “How do you find the subject?”

“More maths than I’d bargained for,” Jinyoung groans, throwing a glare towards the kitchen when his boyfriend snickers. “Still better than _studying_ Sound Engineering and Dance Performance.”

“If you’re gonna diss me, Nyoungie do it to my face,” his boyfriend shoots back. “And I’ve never heard you complaining about my performance,” he teases in a tone dripping with insinuations. 

“Okay, love birds, we have polite company,” Baekhyun announces to the room at large.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” Kyungsoo waves dismissively. “They’re cute.”

“Hear that, Beom-ah?” Jinyoung quips. “Kyungsoo thinks we’re cute. I vote for keeping him.”

“Count my vote in too,” the reply comes.

“Count my vote in, three!” Baekhyun chimes, before fixing a somber face at Kyungsoo. “Sorry, Kyungsoo. You’re stuck with us for life!”

“Is he always this ridiculous?” Kyungsoo asks exasperatedly, not even dignifying an eye-roll.

Jinyoung nods enthusiastically, laughing when Baekhyun whines about ruining his reputation with Kyungsoo. 

“I think he’s toned down a bit in the last few years. He was a hellion during our teenage years,” Jaebeom says, coming to the den and casually squeezing in between Jinyoung and Baekhyun.

“Oh, you’ve all grown up together?” Kyungsoo asks, looking at the trio.

“We’ve been family friends since our toddler days,” Jinyoung says, exchanging an unreadable look with Baekhyun. “Jaebeom came into the picture later, when we were what? 14?”

Jaebeom nods. “And we’ve been friends ever since,” he finishes.

“And how long have the two of you been together?” Kyungsoo asks, gesturing between Jinyoung and Jaebeom.

“Since we were 15,” Jaebeom says fondly, draping a hand around Jinyoung’s waist. 

“That’s cute,” Kyungsoo comments.

“So you think,” Baekhyun wrinkles his nose. “Wait till you see their PDA. It’s sickening.”

Jinyoung gasps, turning rounded eyes upon Baekhyun. “Oh my god, Beom-ah, did we ignore Baekhyunnie for more than 2 minutes? Is his need for constant attention acting up?”

“You’re right, Nyoung,” Jaebeom snickers, placing - more like slapping - a hand over Baekhyun’s forehead. “He looks attention deprived, quick! Pay him a compliment!”

“I legit hate you guys,” Baekhyun whines, swatting away Jaebeom’s hand and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Aww, the feeling’s mutual,” Jinyoung throws finger-guns at his roommate, before fixing his eyes upon a wide-eyed Kyungsoo. “I’m sorry, we must be boring you,” he apologizes to their guest.

“Not at all,” Kyungsoo replies, shaking his head. “It’s nice seeing you interact, makes me miss my friends back home.” Briefly, his mind flashes back to Minseok hyung and Jongdae, and he makes a mental note to send them a message later in the day.

“Glad to know you don’t think we’re weird,” Jaebeom winks, smiling lazily.

“I don’t think the two of you are weird,” Kyungsoo specifies, gesturing between the couple. “Baekhyun though, is a different story!”

Baekhyun, expectedly, bursts into an indignant whine, and the others chuckle, so Kyungsoo decides to continue. “Did he ever tell you how we became friends?”

Both Jinyoung and Jaebeom shake their heads.

“He just said he’s made a new friend, and kept gushing over you,” Jinyoung says.

“We were half-afraid dementia came early for him,” Jaebeom adds, earning a middle finger from Baekhyun. “We are genuinely relieved to know you actually exist.”

Kyungsoo smiles. “Well, let me tell you how we met, and then we can revisit the possibility of early onset dementia,” he teases, before jumping into the story of their first meeting, Baekhyun’s prank, Kyungsoo’s kick and their walk home. Once he’s done, he expects raucous laughter from the other side of the couch, but instead finds Baekhyun guiltily studying the tips of his shoes, Jinyoung staring at him evenly, and Jaebeom glancing at both of them as if waiting for something.

A bit of silence ensues, the first awkward pause of their meeting, and Kyungsoo is just about to ask if he’s said anything wrong when Jinyoung speaks up.

“Baekhyunnie, can you come help me get the cutleries from my room?” he asks in a tone that brokers no argument.

Jinyoung gets up and walks to a room down the hallway, and Baekhyun trails him meekly, walking in and shutting the door after himself.

Kyungsoo stares at the door a beat longer before Jaebeom clears his throat. “How about some music?” he asks, gesturing to a pair of bluetooth speakers nested on the kitchen counter.

“I’m fine with whatever,” Kyungsoo says, watching as Jaebeom shuffles through his phone. “Did I - did I say something wrong?” he asks softly.

“Absolutely not,” Jaebeom says, looking up and fixing sincere eyes upon Kyungsoo. “They….it’s complicated, ok? But you did nothing wrong, promise.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo says in a small voice, fiddling with his fingers.

“Hey,” Jaebeom calls suddenly. “Do you like cats?”

Kyungsoo has the sense to realize he’s being asked something important, and the pleasure to reply that yes, he indeed does like cats. A lot.

“Awesome!” Jaebeom smiles, and his eyes turn into half-moon crescents. “Because I have 5 cats back at my apartment. Wanna see their pictures?”

  
  


Kyungsoo and Jaebeom are still cooing over the pictures of his cats when Jinyoung and Baekhyun return to the room. 

“Sorry guys, needed some time to find the nicer cutleries,” Jinyoung says casually, branding a box of cutleries.

“Nyoungie has no sense of organisation,” Jaebeom shares. “He’s an absolute packrat when it comes to shelving stuffs.”

“And god knows why he insists on hoarding the nicer cutleries and glasses in his closet,” Baekhyun drawls, smiling charmingly, but looking a little rigid around the shoulders.

“Because you don’t do dishes regularly, and Jaehwanie uses the forks for gardening,” Jinyoung wrinkles his nose. “So gross, don’t you agree Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo does agree, which sends Baekhhyun into another round of whining about his friends ganging up on him. Which clears the air and allows them to return to their casual banter. 

Lunch is a pleasant affair, with the four of them lamenting over their degrees and job prospects, and discussing campus gossip between bouts of dissing Baekhyun. It’s nice and easy, and Kyungsoo feels relaxed, almost forgetting the awkward incident from earlier, as they dig into desserts. 

Time flies by, until it’s time for him to leave, and Kyungsoo feels almost reluctant to part. Jinyoung seems to read his mood, and invites him to come hangout whenever he wants - with or without Baekhyun. And Baekhyun mutters about unrateful friends as he ushers Kyungsoo out the door, arm laden with a tupperware box of leftovers to take back to his dorm.

“Did you enjoy yourself today?” Baekhyun asks, when they exit the building.

“Your friends are nice,” Kyungsoo smiles. “I like them.”

“They like you too,” Baekhyun elbows his side, skipping ahead as they make their way towards the campus, chattering in intervals.

“You know, you don’t really need to walk me back home,” Kyungsoo says, once they reach the campus gates. 

“But I want to,” Baekhyun replies valiantly, kicking a stray pebble with the heel of his shoe.

“It’s going to be a long walk back, and I know how much you hate walking” Kyungsoo bargains. “I can go home from here, and you can go back and eat the ice cream you had called dibs on.”

“If you’re sure,” Baekhyun says slowly, hesitantly handing over the tupperware to Kyungsoo. “Thanks for coming, Soo. I-I really enjoyed it.”

“Me too,” Kyungsoo replies shyly, still not used to the earnestness on Baekhyun’s face. 

“Would you,” Baekhyun begins hesitantly, stepping closer. “Would you like to go with us to the Cherry Blossom festival next weekend? If you’re free?”

“I’d love to,” Kyungsoo says softly. “Let me know when I should be ready?”

Baekhyun smiles adoringly in reply, drawing closer, and oh.

“Text me when you get home safely!” Baekhyun yells as he runs away, after dropping his second kiss upon Kyungsoo’s cheek.

And Kyungsoo stares after him, much like the first time, this time aware of the fond smile lining his face.

  
  


The Cherry Blossom festival is beautiful, or that’s what the others say when they’re headed back to campus, and tired from the day. Kyungsoo, after all, had been distracted throughout the festival. 

Well, he’d paid attention the first 15 minutes, having reached the grounds before the others, after having insisted that he was fine travelling alone. But then, Baekhyun and his entourage had showed up, and Kyungsoo had determinedly walked up to them, and clasped Baekhyun’s hand in his before greeting the others. A guy with elfin ears - Jaehwan, he had later found out - had wolf-whistled looking at their joined hands and Baekhyun’s dumbstruck face, and Jinyoung had clapped and Baekhyun had stared at him with awe and adoration, face turning the fetching shade of a cherry blossom bud.

Someone, either Jaebeom or Jaehwan’s boyfriend, another impassive-faced guy with pink hair - _seriously was there a discount on pink hair dye? Why was half of their little sextet pink haired?_ \- had corralled the group eventually and marched them through the festival grounds. 

Kyungsoo can remember bits and pieces of their outing, sharing cotton candy with Jinyoung, taking a picture of the roommates on Baekhyun’s phone (for the ig of course), and listening in awe as Jaehwan and his boyfriend Taekwoon had beautifully harmonised on a song about wind flowers (drawing quite a few spectators to their little picnic gathering). 

Mostly, Kyungsoo had been too busy getting lost in the feel of Baekhyun’s fingers clasped with his, whispered snatches of conversation between them, a casual hand fitted around his shoulder at intervals, and those sparkling eyes that shone with so much joy and - dare he say it - love.

He agrees to return back to campus with them, no longer anxious about approaching Baekhyun to confess his feelings. And finds himself cramped between Jaebeom and a sleeping Baekhyun, still holding Baekhyun’s hand and marveling at the fact that he’d found himself a cute boyfriend just by deciding to investigate unknown singing late one night.

“You know, it’s not going to be fun teasing him about his big, fat crush on you now that you’ve gone and ruined it,” Jinyoung pitches in, from where he is squeezed in the front seat between Jaehwan and the taciturn Taekwoon (who it turns out also resides in Kyungsoo’s residential hall).

“Yeah, but he’s gonna be sappy, and that’s good enough grounds for a couple of months worth of teasing, right?” Jaehwan adds gleefully.

“I think you’re absolutely right!” Jinyoung giggles, before he and Jaehwan devolve into excited whispers.

Kyungsoo shakes his head before closing his eyes and leaning his head over Baekhyun’s, ready for a nap after a long day of walking. He may be awkward and Baekhyun may be overly exuberant, but he can’t wait for their future to unfold.

(He plans however to drop a kiss on Baekhyun’s cheek once they stop by to drop him off, wanting to smooch Baekhyun’s soft cheeks for himself, and (slyly) excited to provide teasing fodder for Baekhyun’s friends.)

  
  


Once the new semester starts up, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo become inseparable. Other than seeing each other at dinner every night, Baekhyun shows up with coffee to escort Kyungsoo between his morning classes, and Kyungsoo does his studying in the music rooms, headphones firmly placed over his ears to tune out Baekhyun practicing his vocals or piano. They go on weekend dates to thrift shops and parks and the movies, and Kyungsoo falls deeper and deeper in love with his boyfriend.

He’s the first one to say I Love You, causing Baekhyun to launch himself at Kyungsoo like an overgrown puppy to slot their lips together. Their first kiss is sloppy, more teeth than lips, but Baekhyun makes it up to him, kissing him again and again, between proclaiming his love for Kyungsoo, and demanding for Kyungsoo to repeat his I Love You’s. 

Kyungsoo indulges him, how can he not, when Baekhyun brings him so much joy and makes him feel a- _wait_ , is that a hand slipping under his sweater? Kyungsoo forces himself to zone back into the moment, and continues kissing his boyfriend, tentatively slipping his own hands under Baekhyun’s tee, and earning a low moan for his efforts. Well, he could live with that.

The first time they share a bed ( _not that way, you fantastic pervert_ ) is when Baekhyun is home alone for once, with both his roommates on vacations around the country - Jinyoung electing to go to the sea, and Jaehwan making his way to the mountains. Baekhyun claims loneliness and boredom, and lures Kyungsoo over with food (pre-cooked by Jaehwan’s boyfriend) and movies (the apartment shared a Netflix account, and Baekhyun was determined to stream as much as he could).

Kyungsoo, once lured over, had opted to watch a horror movie, watching with amusement every time Baekhyun clasped his hand or let out a shriek out of fright. After the movie ends, Baekhyun refuses to let go of Kyungsoo, and lures him into his bed for cuddles (and keeping undefined monsters away), and Kyungsoo slips under his blankets with a fond chuckle and holds Baekhyun through the night as he sleeps in restless fits.

It isn’t till the last night of their staycation that they share a bed, in the _figurative_ sense ( _it be like that sometimes_ ) and Kyungsoo finds himself even more mesmerised with his boyfriend. Jaebeom’s waggling eyebrows, when he and Jinyoung return the next day and catch sight of the bedhead Baekhyun is sporting is, is easily ignored in favour of cuddling under blankets together. 

Jaehwan’s lewd comments when he returns that night though, turn Baekhyun and Kyungsoo into twin crimson messes, and almost causes Jinyoung to die from laughter. The flipper Baekhyun throws at Jaehwan is well anticipated, as is Jaehwan’s resultant squawk and dive to the sofa to wrestle with Baekhyun. Kyungsoo, more than used to the roommate’s shenanigans, had subtly shifted away from Baekhyun and rolled to the other end of the sofa, to watch fondly as his - dumb - boyfriend wrestled with one of his best friends.

_Kyungsoo couldn’t be more in love if he tried._

  
  


  
  


“And the next year, when Jinyoung moved out to live with his boyfriend and his cats, I moved into the apartment. Two years later, Baekhyun proposed, and we’re happily engaged, soon to be married,” Kyungsoo completes his story, showing his left hand (and the band that had been adorning his ring finger for the past 3 years) to his captive audience.

“Woah,” Sehun says.

“Neat,” Youngjae agrees, nodding along.

Only Hyuk looks unimpressed.

“What?” Kyungsoo asks defensively.

“That’s not the whole story, and you know it hyung,” Hyuk whines. 

“How do you know?” Kyungsoo challenges.

“Because Leo hyung told me so,” Hyuk replies.

Kyungsoo blinks, trying to recall the name. “Leo hyung?”

“Oh, oops. I mean Taekwoon hyung. Jaehwan hyung’s boyfriend, my cousin, and self-proclaimed protector of pretty boys who are impulsive and cute. It's his nickname in the family,” Hyuk explains dismissively. “He was there when you found out _the truth_.” 

“I don’t think we should be talking about that,” Kyungsoo says, furtively looking at his three RAs, and making a mental note to ask Taekwoon to not go around blabbing secrets he was supposed to safeguard.

“Hyung,” Sehun deadpans, brushing a hand through his - yep, you guessed it - pink hair. “We’re all oriented with the... _otherwise_.”

“When we hounded you down to hear about your and Baekhyun hyung’s story, we weren’t really demanding to listen to your meet-cute,” Youngjae says. “I mean, it’s cute and all. Slightly disturbing how many times you called him cute. But I digress, we actually wanted to hear about how you found out the truth.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo asks, trying to compute that all three of his students are acquainted with the aptly-termed otherwise. “And how do you know?”

“Because Taekwoon hyung told us it was hilarious, but refused to tell us about the incident,” Hyuk pitches in.

“Something about maintaining your privacy,” Youngjae says flippantly.

“As for how we know,” Sehun pauses, making eye contact with the others. “We’ll tell you right after you tell us how you found out.”

“Fine,” Kyungsoo huffs, resignedly watching the trio exchange highfives. (It reminds him of Baekhyun, Jinyoung and Jaehwan from their younger days, he decides to ping both Jinyoung and Jaehwan in their group chat later.)

“But I’m going to make this quick, because our ‘semester planning session’,” he uses air quotes liberally. “Is scheduled to end in 10 minutes, and Baekhyun’s coming to pick me up for lunch.”

“Understood,” Hyuk says, and the trio nod with almost military precision. 

“Let’s see,” Kyungsoo says, ruminating back to his past.

  
  


He and Baekhyun had been (happily) dating for almost an entire year when _it_ happened.

They had spending a lazy midmorning, bantering around the kitchen counter, trading jokes and harmless teasing. Taekwoon and Kyungsoo had been making pancakes, while Jaehwan and Baekhyun watched One Piece in the den. Jinyoung and Jaebum had gone away, on another road trip to the sea, and were sending extremely aesthetic photos of each other and their surroundings to the group chat every couple of hours. 

(It is to be noted that Kyungsoo had been forced to succumb to the combined aegyo of Baekhyun, Jinyoung, Jaehwan _and Jaebeom_ and install a social media app to stay updated with the random shenanigans of their group.)

It’s peaceful, and routine, and Kyungsoo has grown to love and care for Baekhyun’s friend circle as his own. He’s about to call the anime-watching duo to come for breakfast when the door to the apartment bangs opens.

Startled, Kyungsoo watches as an ashen-faced man stumbles toward the couch. “You had told me to come here, if I ever happened to lose control,” the man gasps, dropping to his knees and shaking terribly. “Please, help me.”

“Yixing,” Taekwoon lets out a pained whisper before rushing out in the den and crouching at the stranger’s side. “Xingie, what have you done?”

“I couldn’t stop myself,” the stranger named Yixing says, bonelessly sinking into Taekwoon’s embrace. “There were these strays and they would have died. I _had to_ heal.”

_Wait, heal? Did Kyungsoo hear that right?_

“It’s okay, you did good,” Taekwoon soothes, placing a kiss on Yixing’s head. Kyungsoo, although rooted to the spot, chances a glance at Jaehwan (to see his reaction to his boyfriend snuggling with someone else), but he finds nothing but concern and alarm warring on his face.

“You did good, Xingie,” Taekwoon continues, scooping up the stranger and laying him down on the sofa both Jaehwan and Baekhyun had wordlessly vacated. “Now rest, and let us take care of you.”

“Babe?” Taekwoon extends a hand to his boyfriend, beckoning him closer.

“Hyung,” Jaehwan begins slowly, sounding deeply guilty and remorseful. “I can’t. I’m sorry. Last night, I was in the greenhouse, and I’m already teetering on the edge. I can’t help him without harming myself.”

Taekwoon whimpers, fisting his hands in his hair. “Xingie. I’m so sorry. We can’t help you this time.”

Before the man named Yixing can do more than let out a pained noise, Baekhyun speaks up.

“I’ll do it,” he says, arresting the room’s attention.

“But Baekh-,” Jaehwan starts, only to pause when Baekhyun shakes his head.

“Look at how he’s suffering. I can’t let that happen on my watch. I won’t. So, step aside and let me do what I can,” he affirms, squaring his shoulders and standing ramrod straight.

“Baekhyun, Kyungsoo is here,” Taekwoon whispers, as if Kyungsoo isn’t right there and hanging onto their every word.

“It’s time he found out, right?” he laughs mirthlessly, the unhappy sound sending shivers up Kyungsoo’s spine. “We all talked about it. Hell, we voted on it. He needs to know before he moves on any further with me,” Baekhyun looks up, his eyes seeming to pierce through Kyungsoo. ( _Kyungsoo rather thought Baekhyun was trying to commit his features into his memory, as if this was going to be the last time they were seeing each other._ )

“Besides,” Baekhyun continues, looking down at the guy breathing with difficulty on the sofa. “Xingie hyung is a friend, and I want to help him, so let me. This isn’t the first time we’re doing this, you know.” 

Taekwoon levels a look at Kyungsoo before focusing on their invalid friend, and slowly nods his head at Baekhyun without looking away. “Please save him.”

Baekhyun squeezes Taekwoon’s shoulder as he passes him by, and then he folds himself on the floor by the sofa, to the side of the Yixing guy. And then…

...Baekhyun cups the guy’s face in his hand, and...

...he kisses him. 

Kyungsoo stares slack-jawed as Baekhyun continues to kiss the guy, and the guy’s bony wrists come up to wrap around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

Distantly, Kyungsoo wonders if he has entered a twilight zone.

Not-so-distantly, he wonders why neither Taekwoon nor Jaehwan - who are now seated on the couch opposite the sofa - try to stop the makeout session, or like, _do something_.

An infinite moment later, Baekhyun retreats from the now-flush-faced and seemingly-asleep Yixing, sporting a glowing complexion himself. 

“Hyung?” he addresses Taekwoon. “Please take him to the bed, he needs to sleep.”

Taekwoon nods, launching himself off the couch and picking Yixing up in his arms again, before walking towards Jaehwan’s bedroom.

“Baekhyunnie?” he calls, pausing at the doorway. “Thank you. And I’m sorry, if...things don’t work out.”

“It will never be your fault, I promise,” Baekhyun nods solemnly, reminding Kyungsoo of his first meeting with Jaebeom and how he too had said something to the safe effect all that time ago.

“I suppose you would like to know what just happened,” Baekhyun comments, slumping on the sofa and staring at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo nods, forcing his feet to carry him to the den, where both Baekhyun and Jaehwan are awaiting him. Once there, he sits down on the lone chair in the room and forces himself to take a deep breath.

“Please explain,” he says levelly.

“Do you remember when we first met and I told you I wasn’t fully human?” Baekhyun asks.

“Of course,” Kyungsoo whispers hollowly, overcome with a sense of foreboding. 

“I wasn’t lying then,” Baekhyun snorts without humour. “Jinyoung almost flayed me alive for being so careless when he found out I had basically told you the truth.”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo asks, feeling faint.

“We call ourselves the _otherwise_ ,” Baekhyun says. “Unremarkable name, but basically self explanatory. We are humans, in all aspects, except that we’re otherwise gifted.”

Kyungsoo blinks, shifting his eyes between Baekhyun and Jaehwan. “You said we,” he comments without inflection.

“We,” Jaehwan speaks up this time. “As in Baekhyunnie, Jinyoungie and me. And also Yixing hyung.”

“And how are you otherwise gifted?” Kyungsoo asks, a bit of hysteria creeping into his voice.

“We…,” Jaehwan pauses, looking at Baekhyun for reassurance before continuing. “We have a relation with the natural elements - earth, fire, wind, water and heart. Some of us draw energy from the elements and some of us give back to nature,” Jaehwan says.

“That’s a lot of elaboration if you’re trying to make a joke,” Kyungsoo comments, silently calculating whether or not it was April 1. _It wasn’t_.

“That’s because we aren’t joking,” Baekhyun answers. “We...are different, and this is an important part of our lives, connected to our life force in a way.”

“And your boyfriends know about this?” Kyungsoo addresses Jaehwan this time.

“Yixing hyung introduced Taek hyung and me,” Jaehwan shrugs. “And Jaebeom and Jinyoung didn’t get into a relationship formally until Jinyoung had spilled the beans and sworn him to secrecy for life.”

“Why the secrecy?” Kyungsoo asks, curious despite himself. _Needless curiousity was a common pattern, he errantly thought, to his actions and thoughts when it came to Baekhyun_.

“How empathetic do you think people will be to _freaks_ like us?” Jaehwan asks wryly. 

“So the night we met…,” Kyungsoo trails off, looking at Baekhyun.

“It was the dead of winter, and that pagoda has the brightest and most private source of light around here,” Baekhyun says simply. “I was there to recharge.”

Kyungsoo nods, although none of it make sense, and his world seems keen on upending on it’s head.

“And you, what do you do?” he asks Jaehwan.

“I make flowers bloom and plants flourish, even in the most adverse conditions,” Jaehwan explains. “While Baekhyunnie’s power is more of a ‘taking’ sort, as in he needs a source of light or warmth to replenish, mine is more of a ‘giving’ type.”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo nods yet again. Because put like this, it almost sounded logical. “So when you take Baekhyun to your greenhouse lab?”

“It’s to draw away the excess heat and light and set up perfect conditions for my babies to grow,” Jaehwan answers. Normally, Jaehwan referring to his plants as babies would set Kyungsoo aflush with adoration, but now it just seems to cause tremors in the house of cards that is his upended reality.

“Right,” Kyungsoo says, nodding vigorously. The _otherwise_ duo look at him with twin looks of concern and apprehension. “Right, of course.”

“I’m going to go for a walk,” Kyungsoo decides, after they’ve spent close to 15 minutes in silence. He gets up and makes for the door before either of them can speak up.

“I’ll come back, after I’m done processing,” he assures them, watching tension melt from their stances infinitesimally. “But you can trust me to keep your secrets.”

“Of course,” Jaehwan says, as if there was no doubt of Kyungsoo’s ability/willingness of keeping their secret safe.

“Take your time,” Baekhyun says in a small voice, nodding when Kyungsoo locks eyes with him.

 _Love you_ , his eyes say, as Kyungsoo turns around and walks away from the house.

  
  


It’s 5 days before a sleep-deprived Kyungsoo makes his way to Baekhyun, Jinyoung and Jaehwan’s apartment in the early hours of the morning. A lightly tanned Jinyoung opens the door, his mouth immediately dropping open in an O upon catching sight of Kyungsoo (wearing one of Baekhyun’s baggy hoodie).

Kyungsoo raises a hand before Jinyoung can speak. “I’ll come talk to you all, but first I need to speak to Baek,” he says.

“Rooftop, use the fire escape ladder,” Jinyoung provides, hovering around as Kyungsoo walks across the apartment and to the fire escape landing beside Jaehwan’s garden of potted plants.

“I’m guessing your power has something to do with water?” Kyungsoo says conversationally, folding the bottoms of his khakis up to his ankle.

“Something like that,” Jinyoung quirks a smile, mischief dancing in his eyes. “I’ll explain in due time.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kyungsoo exacts his promise. “But first, Baekhyun.”

“First, Baekhyun,” Jinyoung allows, having the decency of waiting till Kyungsoo is at least halfway up the ladder before zooming through the house and shouting for Jaehwan to wake his lay ass up. Shaking his head, Kyungsoo continues to climb on, focused on the task ahead.

On the roof, he finds Baekhyun spread out like a starfish and basking in the sunlight.

A rush of affection fills up his chest and robs him of his words.

He actually has to take a deep breath before continuing.

“I hear too much Vitamin D can give you health problems,” Kyungsoo says aloud, holding back an amused chuckle when Baekhyun shoots upright upon hearing his voice.

“Kyungsoo, you’re here,” he says, trying to fix his tufts of watermelon-red hair (summer fruit for summer time, he had justified when Kyungsoo had asked him why).

“I am,” Kyungsoo explains, drawing closer and aching to touch Baekhyun. “Your hair’s a mess.”

“Yeah well, nothing you have seen before,” he says, making one last (unsuccessful) attempt to flatten his hair.

“That’s true,” Kyungsoo plays along, smiling tentatively.

It seems his smile breaks Baekhyun’s dam of suppressed words.

“Kyungsoo, you have to let me explain please,” he gushes out, pausing the moment Kyungsoo holds his palm up.

“I need to tell you something first,” Kyungsoo says, exhaling loudly when Baekhyun nods at him to continue. 

“I thought over the past few days of your secret, and how much you’ve kept from me,” he begins, hating the shadow of sadness over Baekhyun’s face. “But I’ve also thought of why you had to keep the secret, and how openly you all accepted me, and loved me. And how you, Baekhyun, have changed me.”

“What are you saying?” Baekhyun ventures to ask.

“That I love you, and I want to be with you, if you’ll have me still,” Kyungsoo confesses, eyes feeling strangely watery. “I thought of all these questions, and all my doubts. But I only got one answer. And my answer is you.”

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun keens, stepping closer and bracketing Kyungsoo in his hug. “I love you, even though I haven’t always loved you right. But I promise to do so, moving on. For life.”

“No more secrets,” Kyungsoo nudges, burying his face in Baekhyun’s chest and inhaling his clean boy smell.

“No more,” Baekhyun promises, drawing him closer and nuzzling. “We’ll tell you everything.”

“Including the kissing Yixing bit,” Kyungsoo adds on.

“It’s the fastest way to draw out energy. And I needed to take the excess energy he had accumulated fast, before anything could go wrong.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo nods against him. “I’m sure the others have gathered below, waiting for us to come down.”

“Let’s take a few more minutes to ourselves, before we go back to the rascals,” Baekhyun suggests. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Kyungsoo sighs, from relief and gratitude and love, and sinks down with Baekhyun, to bask in the sunlight, in the arms of the prettiest self-proclaimed nymph he’s ever seen. 

_If Jaehwan finds them napping together an hour later and takes some candid shots he plans to give them a collage of on their wedding, well Kyungsoo can live with that_.

  
  


“That’s so cute,” Youngjae squeals, clapping his hands with glee.

“Disgustingly cute,” Sehun wrinkles his nose in mock-disgust.

Hyuk only shakes his head in amusement. “Did you ever find the truth about Jinyoung hyung?”

“I did, eventually,” Kyungsoo smiles, thinking back to their sextet’s summer vacation to Jeju - mountains, volcanoes, sunlight and sea - five years back. “But I’m not gonna tell you about it, that’s his story to tell.”

“Don’t worry, we all know it,” Sehun drawls, making a show of picking at his fingernails. Hyuk and Youngjae nod from the side.

“Well, now that I’ve told you my story - which, by the way, I still don’t know how I got coerced into,” he pauses for effect. “It’s your turn to tell me why you know what you know.”

“We all have otherwise powers,” Youngjae explains. “I’m part of Jinyoung hyung’s clan, and my powers are similar to him, except tied to to sunshine. Sehun comes from one of the strongest and most influential air factions in the world, and Hyukkie, well…,” he trails off, raising expectant eyebrows at Hyuk.

“They call me the boy with starlight,” Hyuk rolls his eyes. “It’s...difficult to explain without seeing.”

“Who’s they?” Kyungsoo asks, latching on to the word.

The trio share a look of absolute understanding and deliberate conniving before Sehun looks at his watch and gasps. “Would you look at the time, we’re past our room booking!”

“Oh no, we have to go now!” Youngjae exclaims, packing his bag at a breakneck speed. “Thank you for the time and the story, Kyungsoo hyung! We’ll see you next Thursday when we are legit scheduled to plan!”

“Goodbye now!” Hyuk greets, holding the door open for his conspirators to escape.

Kyungsoo stares after them, wondering what just happened and what more secrets were being hidden (and how he could unlock them), before shaking his head and packing his satchel.

By the time he comes out of the Botanical Studies building, it’s past 1 PM and the sun is shining high in the sky. And _there_! Leaning against the railings with his face turned up to soak the sunlight, stands a brown-haired Baekhyun.

“Hey Baek, sorry I’m late,” Kyungsoo greets, threading his fingers through Baekhyun’s and pecking his cheek.

“I’m sure you can make it up to me,” Baekhyun winks, cackling when he gets shoved by Kyungsoo.

And Kyungsoo? He speedwalks ahead, ignoring the peals of Baekhyun’s laughter as he gives chase, until Baekhyun catches up, and entwines their fingers together, whispering a reverent I Love You behind the bridge of Kyungsoo’s ear. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You're awesome!  
> This is unbeta-ed, so apologies in advance for typos :/  
> Also, I'd love to know your thoughts on the story, so please leave a comment~
> 
> And above all, stay safe everyone! <3


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